206 Chapter 206 (1/2)

All of the prominent clans in the United Element sect area were invited to this event. This would be a chance for them to meet up with their new overlords. There were a lot of rumors about this Zhang Dong, mostly positive ones. He was supposedly a generous man that favored the weak while being an honorable warrior.

Every large city that was comparable in size to Spirit Spring City or Moonlight City had one of these clans. They mostly had to have a core formation elder in their mids to be eligible for an invitation.

Everyone was skeptical at first. The Dark Palm sect was gone but not due to the United Element sect. They were taken out by the three other large sects from the area and not by this new one. They feared that if they socialized too much with these upstarts that the other large powers could take their anger out on them.

They took a wait and see approach without taking any sides. Time continued to fly but for some reason, even after the Dark Palm sect's demise, the other three sects didn't seem interested in attacking the upstart. Then updated news arrived that Zhang Dong's master was apparently someone that was to be feared. He was the sole reason that the three sects didn't move in to seize the rest of the lands. There was also info that the three United Element sect elders outclassed regular nascent soul masters.

This was evidence enough for the weaker clans to seek an audience. Everyone knew that the quickest way to prominence was joining a powerful sect. Even though this one was only starting out and it was dangerous they still had nascent soul elders on their side. This wedding would be a good opportunity to make a good impression so they all needed to get some gifts ready.

Everyone used their spies to get information about the most prominent people in the sect. There were some discrepancies but everyone agreed that Zhang Dong was probably the strongest one from them all. The next in line was Huo Qiang followed by Feng Liena in tow, though her status might have been higher as she was the bride.

Then the fourth most influential person in the sect wasn't even at the great circle of core formation. No, Zhang Jin was considered next up as he had the ear of the Sect leader and could affect his decisions. After that, it blurred as the sect was still new and the inner workings weren't clear.

The clans were wary of the nascent soul masters so most of them decided to go for an easier target to bribe. This would be Zhang Jin and he was quite infamous in the land. He had stolen quite a few brides in his younger days and never ceased doing it to this day.

There were also lower priority targets like Zhang Dong's disciples. Also anyone from the inner circle that belonged to one of the three clans that established that sect. The probability of gaining their trust was low but they had to try as it was a golden ticket to prosperity.

While the clans with lesser power made their preparations the three sects were in a bind. Should they send envoys to the wedding, or should they ignore these newbies and show that they weren't on their level by ignoring the invitations.

Each one of them had tried gathering more information during the period that they were building their base. They didn't come up with any substantial evidence of the reason they were in the lower lands. From their standpoint, Zhang Dong had to be crazy to wish to build his sect at that location. There was just nothing of value hidden there.

The investigations brought nothing and all of the spies that wandered too close to the building site vanished. They then received word that their sect leader was seen patrolling the whole area and figured that they would need someone close to him in strength to get anywhere. This they weren't willing to do as they still feared the man that was backing him.

In the end, they decided to send someone over that was expandable. They didn't need to move their nascent soul masters yet but could at least show some good faith. This was also an opportunity for them to see how this new sect operated. It had been about a year since they started rebuilding and they were close to completion.

While everyone was finalizing their schemes of either getting on the good side of the new sect or spying on them, a nervous Zhang Dong was pacing back and forth in his room. He had managed to prepare the wedding rings and was now getting cold feet.

While busy with his work he could relax and not think about the commitment he would be making towards the Feng Matriarch. He had made two identical golden rings, they were of a dragon and phoenix that were entangling each other. He got the idea from Liena's and his soul beasts that were a dragon and a phoenix.

Just as he wanted he had added a teleportation function to both of them. He could either teleport to her or have her teleport to him in times of need. There was also a tracking function connected to his system. This would show him his wife's last location if ever something blocked out his teleportation or if the rings got damaged.

There wasn't enough space to fit too many enchantments into the items. So he had to settle for the teleportation function and a barrier that would appear as a large bubble and shield her from harm. It could also be later recharged if she used up this protective measure.

He had been able to relax after the protective arrays had been set up. He inspected them by himself and even tested out their power. They were able to even take hits from him that were equal to a nascent soul expert at the late stage. Thanks to the spirit vein he didn't need to use his system points to power the cubes that acted as batteries.